The most important part of any picnic is the food you pack! In addition to having a few grocery stores to shop at in both Estes Park and Grand Lake, many local restaurants can pack your food to-go so you can enjoy it inside the national park at one of the many picnic sites.
Below is a list of some of the stores and restaurants which offer picnic lunches or picnic type foods to take with you into the park:
If you are visiting the east side of RMNP, here are a few options in Estes Park:
- Country Market & Deli
- Safeway
- Scratch Deli
- Boss Burgers and Gyros
- Bird & Jim
- Claire’s Restaurant and Bar
- Bird’s Nest
If you are visiting the west side of RMNP, here are a few options in Grand Lake:
- Mountain Market
- Rocky Mountain Grocery
- Cy’s Deli
- The Hub
- Sagebrush BBQ & Grill
Be cautious about leaving food unattended both at your table and in your vehicle. Small animals such as birds and chipmunks may try to steal food if it is accessible. This is both unhealthy for them and it is considered feeding the animals, which is illegal in the park. Larger animals like black bears have been known to break into vehicles if they smell food inside. Therefore, it is important to not leave food or food trash unattended in either your vehicle or your picnic site. At many places there are bear lockers available where you can safely store food while out exploring.